Improvement in safety-stirrups



W. B. CONWAY. SAFETY-STIRRUP.

No. 192,976. Patented J'u1 y10.1877.v

wmwssss: mm: v r BY Q magma N-PEI'ERS, PHOTO-LITHDGRAPHEH. WASHINGTON, D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEFIoE.

WILLIAM B. CON WAY, OF BLAOKSBURG, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO GILES D. THOMAS, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN SAFETY-STIRRUPS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent Nol92,976, dated July 10, 1877 application filed J une 4,1877.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. CONWAY, of Blacksburg, in the county of Montgomery and State of Virginia, have invented a new and Improved Safety'Stirrup and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a front view. Fig. 2 is a vertical section.

My invention is an improved safety-stirrup, designed to prevent the rider from being dragged by the foot if, in being thrown from the horse, he should get his foot caught in the stirrup.

The improvement consists in pivoting in the sides of the stirrup, just above the space for the foot, a, protector or guard, which is extended above its pivots, around the connecting-bar at the top of the stirrup, in the form of a hooked plate, which passes between the connecting-bar and two higher metallic rods, so as to secure the stirrup to the stirrupstrap by a metallic loop entered between the two upper bars, and caught by the hooked plate of the pivoted guard; V

In the drawing, A represents a stirrup, of any of the usual forms, but here shown as made of wood, and having its upper ends connected by a bar, B. O is the toe protector or guard, which is pivoted to a bar, a, in the sides of the stirrup, and whose upper end is extended upon the opposite side of connecting-bar B. The said pivoted guard is indented and concaved at its lower front end, so as to cover the toe of the foot and protect it from the mud or sun, and at the same time to operate as a stop or guard to prevent the foot from being projected too far through the stirrup. To the upper end of the guard is attached a hooked'plate, D, bent nearly at right angles in the form of a fiat spring, and adapted to pass between the connecting-bar B and two higher metallic rods, E E, so as to enter and secure a metal 100p, F, connected with the stirrup-strap G, which loop is admitted between the rods E E, connecting the upper ends of the stirrup.

The metallic loop F, it will thus be seen,

constitutes the connection between the stirrup and stirrup-strap. Now, whenever the rlder is thrown, or his foot becomes in any way caught in the stirrup, the toe of his boot presses against the pivoted guard O, which operates as a lever, and in yielding, as shown in dotted lines, throws the hooked plate on its upper end in the opposite direction and from beneath the rods E, thus allowing the stirrup to drop from the disconnected metallic loop of the stirrup-strap, and leaving the stirrup with the rider. This, it will be seen, entirely obviates the serious injuries which might result from being dragged by the foot, and the horse, in his fright, is not further aggravated (after the rider is dislodged) by the flapping of the heavy stirrups against his sides.

In making use of my improvement I shall apply the same to all forms of stirrups, whether of wood or iron, and I may make the pivoted guard and its hooked plate all in one piece, if found desirable.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. A pivoted toe protector or 'guard,.combined with and extending downwardly and in front of a stirrup, and adapted to be deflected by the foot to disconnect the stirrup from the strap, substantially as described 2. The toe protector or guard G, pivoted to the stirrup, and provided with a hooked extension upon its upper end, in combination with the stirrup having the rods E E, and the stirrup-strap having a loop, substantially as described.

3. The combination of ing connecting-bar B and rods E E, the pivoted toe protector or guard having a hooked spring-plate, D, and the stirrup-strap having a loop, F, substantially as and for the purpose described.

GILES D. THOMAS, WM. M. BELL.

the stirrup A, hav- 

